


Everything's Eventual

by ariofthesea



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Gen, Mushroom War, Neither Marceline nor her mom are physically present but they are what the story centers around, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 09:36:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7503294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariofthesea/pseuds/ariofthesea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nine months after Hunson Abadeer learns about the cataclysmic events that might've taken his family, he decides to consult with Death to get some answers--and possibly talk negotiations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything's Eventual

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to write this for a long time, and I wanted to have it ready as my #ATSHIPWEEK's Day Four: Fav Family submission, but I got too bogged down with life, so I'm considering this my Day Seven: Free Space/belated Fav Family submission. Also, it's not the most conventional submission for a Fav Family entry for a ship week, so here we are. Any feedback would be awesome!

In the deepest chamber of an aging castle, two powerful deities sat across from one another, engrossed in a battle of cunning wits.

“I’ll be taking the Water Works.”

Hudson Abadeer wiggled his Scottie token, as if to make it perform a victory dance.

“Okay, so you nabbed both of the utilities,” said Death, his opponent. “That’s all fine and good. Too bad that just beyond jail lies my green pastures.” He swept his hand over the Pacific Avenue and North Carolina Avenue game spaces, both of which had a house game piece sitting above their labels.

“Come back to me when you take them over completely. Then I’ll break a sweat.”

“Heh, cocky as always.”

Death rolled the dice and moved his top hat token three spaces. “Anyway,” he then said, “let’s stop beating around the bush. We both know why you’re here.”

Hunson felt uneasiness stir within his guts. Of course he would. He, the Lord of All Evil, wanted to consult with the Ruler of the Dead—the same one who set forth strict mortality laws that Hunson had been breaking for eons—about the whereabouts of his wife and child. In truth, the moment he found out about what had happened on Earth, he never felt more chained by the summoning laws that kept him bound to the Nightosphere. And he had had no intentions to request that Death summon him to his castle that same day.

He had a menacing public image to uphold, after all.

Realizing he had fallen silent for several moments, Hunson spoke up.

“Well yeah, of course. It’s only natural I have to know where my heir and co-ruler are.”

“You truly love them.”

Hunson, much to his dismay, visibly cringed. Death chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to use this to sabotage your big, scary reputation. You have the capacity to care about a couple of people, that’s all. For Pete’s sake, look at me. I’m the fearsome ruler of the dead, and yet I’ve got a girlfriend who’s quite literally my polar opposite.”

“How’s Life doing, by the way?”

“Nice try. Stay the course, pal.”

Hunson’s face soured. He rolled the dice and landed on one of Death’s properties, making his expression sour even more.

“That was quite a day, let me tell ya. I can’t remember when I last had that many souls pass through my many gates.”

It required Hunson to muster every ounce of mental strength to not allow his emotions to betray and humiliate him any more than they already had.

“It’s been what, almost nine Earth months? I’m _still_ taking inventory on who is who and who went to what dead world. I may need to hire a couple of admin assistants at this point, because who knows if I’ll get a big harvest like this again. Always good to be prepared, am I right?”

Like a gavel, Hunson’s fist crashed down on the table, scattering the many game pieces across the board. He internally cursed himself out for allowing his emotions to get the best of him. It didn’t matter if Death was fine with him having feelings for others or whatever; _he had a reputation to maintain_. It took him centuries to secure the high standing he held in one of the most lawless places in the universe, and because of that, _he was to be **feared**._

Even so…he desperately wanted—no, needed—to know where they were. The human woman who would be his co-ruler and their hybrid child who would be his heir. His wife and daughter. Lydia and Marceline.

“Okay, you know what? As fun as it is to see you get riled up, I’ve tormented you long enough. Time to lay down the truth.”

Death sucked in a breath as he moved his token two spaces. “I don’t have either of them.”

Hunson raised his head. His already large eyes grew even wider.

“You…don’t?”

“C’mon man, you know I don’t reap just for the sake of reaping. I’m not going to go after them before their times have come just because they weren’t a part of that one big harvest.”

Hunson unclenched his fist and slowly reached for the dice.

“But, if they’re not with you, then…”

Death waited for Hunson’s turn to finish.

“I may be no overseer of the greater universe or whatever, but at the very least, I have a trace on your kid’s life force, and I can feel that she’s still on Earth.”

At that point, Hunson made no effort to fight the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. All of that awesome world-ending power, and none of it could bring down little Marceline. Relief—and a hint of pride—welled up within him.

“Thank whatever deity makes the most sense to thank,” Hunson chuckled. “I’d say yours truly.”

However, he then thought about Lydia. The change in his expression prompted Death to speak up.

“As for your wife, that’s where things get a little more complicated. Unlike your kid, or pretty much all other living things in my domain, I—man, how to put this—I haven’t been able to get a trace on her life force?”

“So what you’re saying is you’ve lost track of her?”

“Trust me, this isn’t a common thing.”

“Oh I’m sure it isn’t.”

“Don’t you patronize me,” Death retorted. “You’re the one who practically begged to be summoned so you could get your answers. If you want them, I suggest you shut your soul-sucking trap.”

“Okay man, sorry. Didn’t mean to step on your toes.” Hunson rubbed his arm. “Last I knew, they were together. Humans may have been directionless cowards who didn’t know how to implement the violence they craved, but I can’t say the same for Lydia. She would’ve never abandoned Marceline—at least, I don’t think she would.”

Death moved his token three spaces. “What I find interesting is that I lost your wife before the war on Earth came to a head, not after. As in, mere minutes before. And actually, I briefly lost both your wife and daughter. But then your daughter rather quickly came back on my radar.”

Hunson furrowed his brow. “Do you think they might’ve gone off your ‘radar’ because they were somewhere that _isn’t_ on your radar?”

“Well, seeing that there are Grod knows how many universes out there, I’d say that sounds like a good possibility.”

Hunson’s mind began to shuffle the pieces he had. Lydia and Marceline had never left their world before, aside from opening the occasional portal to the Nightosphere, something Hunson taught Lydia how to do. Even so, the Nightosphere was still a part of Death’s domain, which meant they somehow left the known corner of the universe altogether. No, they couldn’t have simply left; they were pushed out, at the beginning of the end of their world. Yet Marceline had come back after the end. Why? What good would that do? 

If they were back on Earth, Hunson thought, they could at the very least be found in the known universe. But maybe only one of them could be saved. Saved? Why did that word pop into Hunson’s head? The more Hunson thought it over, the more he remembered who his wife was, what was happening in her world, and by adding the new pieces of information Death gave him, the more it made so much sense. Hunson remembered the tales he once heard of beings from all sorts of universes being pushed out by some greater force, sometimes never to be seen again. His wife and child were going to become the victims of yet another one of those stories. But even under those dire circumstances, Lydia, who loved and believed in their child with all of her soul, would’ve never allowed that to become Marceline’s fate. So with whatever little power she, a non-magical being, had, she sent Marceline to back to the place where she knew her daughter would at least be found, while the unknown claimed her.

Whether or not that was the reality of what had happened, it made too much sense to not be right in Hunson’s eyes.

Realizing how deep he had gotten lost in thought and emotion, and that Death was still in the room, Hunson cleared his throat.

“Okay, so Marceline’s likely back on Earth. Easy enough. So where do I go about finding Lydia?”

Death snorted. “You’re asking how to find a human-sized needle in a cosmic-sized haystack. And that’s not including alternate universes.”

“Ah, but you see, traveling is my specialty.”

“Which is why you have to find ways to get yourself summoned almost everywhere, including here.”

Hunson leaned forward. “I will find them. I can _always_ make it so I find who I need to, be it for souls or business or personal reasons.”

Death made a strong assertion of his own. “Then you’d best hope you find them within their lifetimes. Just because you’ve been skipping out on your mortality rent doesn’t mean they can or will.”

Hunson moved his token forward, flashing his trademark grin. “It’s still a bet I’m going to wager.”

“Of course you would. But just remember who you’re talking to. I’m the guy who’ll be on this crazy bus ride until the very last stop. Even with all of these changes in schedules, your family--and yes, that includes you--will have to get off at your respective stops at some point, long before me. It’s eventual. Everything is.”

With that, Death landed on Boardwalk and set down his money to buy the property. He then froze as his stomach made a low growl.

“I think I’m in need of some grub. What do you want? Ham sandwich?”

“You know it.”

“BRB.”

Once Death disappeared into his kitchen, Hunson turned away from the table and muttered:

“Lydia, Marceline. Where do I even start to look for you?”


End file.
